Words are powerful. They shape our relationships, influence how we see ourselves, and impact how we experience the world.

In this episode of The Echoes Podcast, poet, author, and educator Olga Samples Davis shares her reflections on the significance of words—whether spoken in kindness, passed down through generations, or rooted in faith. Olga reflects on her mother’s wisdom, her journey as an educator, and her faith in the transformative power of language. Because, Olga says, kindness transcends barriers. 

NOTES: Do you like this story? You’ll love Echoes Magazine. Print subscriptions are free from the H. E. Butt Foundation: 

Subscribe - Echoes Magazine (hebfdn.org) 

Watch two Echoes videos featuring Olga in this article:  

Laity Lodge's 60-Year Journey - Laity Lodge 

Browse our poetry reflections: 

Poetry Stories - Echoes Magazine 

Buy Olga’s Book, Things My Mama Told Me 

https://www.amazon.com/Things-My-Mama-Told-Me/dp/1578568196/  

Investigate materials referenced in this podcast: 

• Strength in the Lord (Philippians 4:13)  
• Ernest Hemingway - “We are all broken - that’s how the light gets in”  
• The Story of Jabez (1 Chronicles 4:10) 
• “Don’t ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive.” - Howard Thurman 

Production Team: 

• Written and produced by Camille Hall-Ortega, Rob Stennett, and Marcus Goodyear 
• Edited by Rob Stennett and Kim Stone 
• Executive Producers: Patton Dodd and David Rogers 
• Funded by the H. E. Butt Foundation